'The first time I read an excellent work, it is to me just as if I had gained a new friend. When I read over a book I have perused before, it resembles the meeting of an old one' - Oliver Goldsmith

Friday, July 13, 2007

Through The Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Rating: 8/10

Published: 1871Number of pages: 224ISBN: 0486408787

Started: 10 June 2007Finished: 10 June 2007

Summary (taken from Wikipedia and slightly altered by me):Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although it makes no reference to its events. In it, there are many mirror themes, including opposites, time running backwards, and so on.

Whereas the first book has the deck of cards as a theme, this book is loosely based on a game of chess, played on a giant chessboard with fields for squares. Most main characters met in the story are represented by a chess piece, with Alice herself being a pawn. The looking-glass world is divided into sections by brooks, with the crossing of each brook usually signifying a notable change in the scene and action of the story.

Comments:It's a close call, but I think I enjoyed the sequel more than I did the original. Whereas in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland I found a couple of the characters to be irritating, in the sequel I found the characters to be more likeable and interesting to read.

The humour is still present, as is Carroll's wonderful play on words. I enjoyed the poetry more in this one as well - in particular, The Walrus And The Carpenter. A very good read and highly recommended if you've read (and enjoyed) Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.

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Welcome to my little corner of the world! I love reading and sharing my thoughts with others on the books I've read. I'll be posting my reviews here and any other literary bits and pieces I feel like sharing!